Nip relieving apparatus for a reel

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for reeling or winding light grades of paper webs such as tissue. A reed drum having a pair of parallel-spaced horizontal rails extending from the delivery end portion of the reel drum, winds the web onto a spool. Primary transfer arms at each end of the reed drum transfer the spool downwardly along the periphery of the drum onto the rails. The spool is supported at its opposite ends on cam tracks pivoted about axis parallel to the axis of the reel drum. Air cylinders are connected with the cam tracks to position the cam tracks to hold the spool out of engagement with the periphery of the drum and pivot the tracks to engage the spool with the drum with a preselected minimum nip pressure. The tracks have incoming curvilinear portions formed about one axis and dropping off at their outgoing ends, to lower the partially wound spool onto the rails. The air cylinders cooperate with the outgoing portions of the cam tracks to provide a uniform minimum nip pressure between the spool and reel drum as the spool advances along the outgoing curvilinear portions of the cam tracks. The partially wound spool is delivered from the cam tracks onto the rails, along which the reeling operation is continued under the control of secondary transfer arms.

Waited States Patent [72] Inventor Gerald W. Karr Beloit, Wis. [21] Appl. No. 886,813

[22] Filed Dec. 22, 1969 [45] Patented Oct. 19, 1971 [7 3] Assignee Beloit Corporation Beloit, Wis.

[54] NIP RELIEVING APPARATUS FOR A REEL 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

3,383,066 5/1968 Vadasetal.

ABSTRACT: Apparatus for reeling or winding light grades of paper webs such as tissue. A reed drum having a pair of parallel-spaced horizontal rails extending from the delivery end portion of the reel drum, winds the web onto a spool. Primary transfer arms at each end of the reed drum transfer the spool downwardly along the periphery of the drum onto the rails. The spool is supported at its opposite ends on cam tracks pivoted about axis parallel to the axis of the reel drum. Air cylinders are connected with the cam tracks to position the cam tracks to hold the spool out of engagement with the periphery of the drum and pivot the tracks to engage the spool with the drum with a preselected minimum nip pressure The tracks have incoming curvilinear portions formed about one axis and dropping off at their outgoing ends, to lower the partially wound spool onto the rails. The air cylinders cooperate with the outgoing portions of the cam tracks to provide a uniform minimum nip pressure between the spool and reel drum as the spool advances along the outgoing curvilinear portions of the cam tracks. The partially wound spool is delivered from the cam tracks onto the rails, along which the reeling operation is continued under the control of secondary transfer arms.

N11? RELIJEVIING APPARATUS FOR A REEL BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Heretofore difficulty has been encountered at the beginning of the operation of reeling, or winding, light grades of paper, such as tissue, on a conventional drum reel. This is caused by the fact that the weight of the spool on the reel drum is many times sufficient to crush light tissue grades of paper, especially along the edges, which causes the tissue to tear.

The present invention remedies the foregoing deficiencies by supporting the spool at its opposite ends on cam tracks and lowering the spool into engagement with the periphery of the reeling drum with a preselected controlled nip pressure and then urging the spool away from the reel drum as the web builds up on the spool to relieve the pressure on the web.

A principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to improve upon the reels heretofore in use for reeling paper webs by controlling the nip pressure between a spool, on which the web is wound, and the reel drum, to provide preselected minimum nip pressures during the initial operation of reeling the web on the spool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reel for light grades of paper controlling the nip reeling pressures in a simpier manner and avoiding crushing and tearing of the web during the initiation of the reeling operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a support structure for the spool upon which a web is to be wound, of a simplified and efficient construction, maintaining preselected minimum nip pressures on the web during the initiation of the reeling operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reeling apparatus utilizing a rotatably driven drum for reeling tissue on a spool in which the pressure nip relationship between the spool and reel drum is maintained at a preselected minimum pressure under the control of fluid pressure means in cooperation with cam tracks supporting the ends of the spool and maintaining the cam tracks in position to move the spool away from the reel drum as the web builds up thereon.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a reel constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a an enlarged side elevational detail view of the reel drum, showing a cam track supporting the spool above the drum and lowering the spool to engage the drum with a preselected nip pressure and showing an end portion of the spool at the incoming end of the cam tracks in vertical section.

FIG. 3 is a partial fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially along line ll1-III of FIG. 1, with certain parts removed; and

FIG. 4 is a graph showing comparisons between the nip pressures of the reeling apparatus of the present invention and prior art reels.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION In FIG 1 of the drawings, I have shown a drum reel constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention including a base supporting a reel drum 11 at one end of said base for rotation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of said base. The drum 11 is suitably journaled on said base at its opposite ends and is driven at a uniform rate of speed in a conventional manner to effect reeling of a web W onto a spool 12 having nip pressure relationship with the periphery of the reel drum 11. The reel is constructed along principles similar to those shown and described in US. Pat. No. 3,1 16,031, granted to Lawrence A. Moore et al. on Dec.

31, 1963, so the details of the reel drum, the drive to said reel drum and other details shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,1 16,031, need not herein be shown or described in detail.

It should here be understood that the rails 15 and primary and secondary transfer arms are at each side of the machine and are of a similar construction. Therefore, only one side of the machine need herein be shown and described.

Mounted for movement about an axis coaxial with the axis of rotation of the reel drum 11 is a primary transfer arm 13 at each end of the drum 11, and shown as being pivotally movable about the axis of the reel drum 1 1 to transfer a spool 12 on the reel drum to initiate the reeling of a web on the spool and move the spool along the periphery of the reel drum downwardly onto a pair of parallel-spaced rails 15, extending from said reel drum to a stop 16 at the outgoing ends of said rails.

The spool on the rails 15 is then maintained into pressure nip relationship with the reel drum 11 by secondary transfer arms 17, engaging opposite ends of the spool. Each secondary transfer arm is pivoted on a bearing support 18 extending upwardly of the base or foundation for the reel on transverse pivot pins 19.

The secondary transfer arms 17 each have a forked upper end portion, an upright arm 20 of which has a roller 21 rotatably mounted on its upper end, extending along an associated rail 15, and an arm 22 of which extends generally at right angles to the upright arm 20. A control arm 23 is pivoted to the end of the arm 22 on pivot pin 24. The control arm 23 has a roller 25 at its upper end coming behind the spool 12 as the transfer arm 17 moves toward the stop 16. The end of the arm 23 opposite from the roller 25 is counterweighted by the weight 26.

The secondary transfer arms 17 are each moved toward and from the stop 16 about the axis of the pivot pin 19 by a fluid pressure cylinder 27 having a piston (not shown) therein and a piston rod 29 extensible therefrom and pivotally connected to the secondary transfer 17, intermediate the ends thereof, as by a pivot pin 30. A control lever 31 and link 32 are provided to control movement of the secondary transfer arms along the rails 15. A cross-shaft about the pivot axis of levers 31 connects them for movement together.

The primary transfer arms 13 are loaded with a spool 12 at position A and transfer the spool along the periphery of the reel drum to position B just out of peripheral contact with the surface of the drum and then transfer the spool to position C into contact with the surface of the drum to effect driving of the spool at the linear speed of travel of the drum at the initiation of the winding operation. The primary transfer arms 13 are each mounted inwardly of a side plate 33 for the reel, for adjustable pivotal movement about the axis of rotation of the reel drum 11. Each primary transfer arm 13 has a frame portion 35 depending from the bottom portion of the bearing cap for the arm and in the general form of a sector of a circle having a downwardly opening arcuate rack 36 extending therealong and meshed with the pinion 37. The pinion 37 is keyed or otherwise secured to a transverse shaft 39 journaled on the rear end of the side frame member 33 in bearing brackets 40.

The shaft 39 and pinions 37 adjacent each end of said shaft are driven from a motor (not shown) and speed reducer gearing (not shown) at a constant rate of speed to move the primary transfer arm from position A where it is loaded with a spool 12 through position B to position C and then onto the rails 15 where the control of the reeling operation is continued by the secondary transfer arms 17.

Each primary transfer arm 13 has an inwardly opening guide 41 extending therealong. The guide 41 forms a rectilinear guide for a holding jaw 43, engaging a bearing housing 44 for the spool 12, to retain the spool to a cam track 45. The holding jaw 43 is moved into engagement with the bearing housing 44 of the spool 12 by operation of a piston rod 46 extending from a piston (not shown) within a cylinder 47, to move the holding jaw along the guide 41, to accommodate loading of the spool onto said primary transfer arm and release of the spool as it is deposited upon the horizontal rails 15.

The spool 12, as shown in FIG. 3, also includes a journal 12a forming a support for the spool on suitable bearings contained within the bearing housings 44. Bearing housing 44 has a stepped diameter 48 which rides on cam track 45. On the extreme end of journal 12a is the clutch shroud 49 which is used to accelerate the periphery of spool 12 to coincide with web speed.

Each cam track 45 is pivoted intermediate its ends on a transverse pivot shaft 50 carried in a bearing 51 supported at the upper end portion of the side plate 33. The shaft 50 extends through the cam track 45 intermediate the ends thereof and has a head 52 of its inner end abutting the inside of said cam track 45 and retained to said cam track by a press fit. A nut 53, threaded on the outer end of said pivot shaft and suitably locked thereto retains the shaft 50 and cam track 45 in the bearings.

The cam track 45 in shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as having an incoming curvilinear camming surface 55 extending from the incoming end ofsaid cam track, in the form ofa uniform arc, the center of which does not coincide with the axis of drum 11, to a valley 56 between positions B and C (FIG. 2 at the place where the spool 12 is beginning to come into engagement with the periphery of the winder drum 11.The cam track 45 also has an outgoing curvilinear surface 57 extending from the valley 56 along a uniform arc, the center of which coincides with drum 11 center when cam 45 is in dashed line position, to a peak intermediate the ends of said outgoing surface and terminating in a drop off surface 59 at position D, shown as extending generally vertically and allowing the spool 12 to be delivered to the rails 15.

A piston rod 60 extends from a cylinder 61, which may be an air cylinder, and is mounted on the outside of a side plate 33 in a suitable manner. The piston rod 60 is pivotally connected with the lower end portion of the cam track 45 as by a pivot pin 62. The cylinder 61 is supplied with fluid under pressure, which may be air, as the spool begins winding paper at location C to urge the cam track 45 into the solid line position shown in FIG. 2. It then supports the outgoing curvilinear surface 57 in position to allow for the gradually increasing diameter of the wound roll, and relieve the nip pressure between the roll and drum up to position D, where the spool is delivered onto the rails 15. At position D the resultant force component, due to the weight of the spool itself no longer requires relieving. At this point the cam relieving force equals the weight of the component normal to drum and additional relieving force is no longer required. Therefore the cam track 45 is dubbed off to prevent additional relieving force from being applied as the spool continues downward.

The cam track 45, supporting opposite ends of the spool 12 are thus so contoured as to hold the spool out of engagement with the reeling drum 11 from position A to position B and to then gradually lower the spool to engage the periphery of the winding drum as it passes along the valley 56 to position C.

As the spool approaches position B, the cam tracks 45 are pivoted by the spool weight until the spool comes into close proximity with the peripheral surface of the winding drum 11. As the spool reaches position C, the spool will be eased into contact with the winding drum and the winding operation will commence. As the spool is in positions B and C the cam tracks 45 have been pivoted to the broken line position shown in FIG. 2, and when the spool begins winding paper at location C, additional fluid under pressure is admitted to the cylinder 61 to urge the cam track into the solid line position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A constant fluid pressure is applied to the fluid pressure cylinder 61 to bias the cam track 45 into a solid line position shown in FIG. 2 ans allow for the gradually increasing diameter of the roll as wound on the spool, and thereby to re lieve the nip pressure accompanying the formation of the roll up to position D, as previously described.

Fluid pressure is maintained in cylinder 61 regardless of the position of cam track 45 to provide some relieving force at all times. However, pressure is exhausted generally when the spool is in position D where relieving is no longer required.

Referring now to FIG. 4, curve E represents the nip loading of the spool against the reel drum due to the spool weight and pressure exerted by the jaws 43 and fluid pressure operated cylinders 47 on the primary transfer arm 13. Curve F represents the loading due to the weight of the spool alone in terms of nip pressure engagement with the reel drum 11. It is plotted by multiplying the spool weight by the cosine of the angle from the vertical. Curve G represents the relieving force provided by a constant pressure in the cylinder 61, biasing the curvilinear surfaces 57 of the cam tracks 45 away from the reel drum 11. Curve H represents the difference between curves E and G and shows the material reduction in nip pressure between the spool and face of the reel drum at the initiation of the reeling operation as the spool travels along the cam tracks from position C to position D, and demonstrates how the cam tracks 45 and fluid pressure operated cylinders 61 reduce the nip pressures during the initial reeling operation and eliminate the sheet-crushing forces between the spool and reel drum. The nip relieving forces, of course, will change with the weight and size of the spool and cam track configurations. The pressure in cylinder 61 can be programmed to vary as a function of the primary transfer arms 13. By so modulating the pressure, curve G can be made to parallel curve F which would result in curve I-I approximating a straight line. This could also be accomplished by replacing cylinder 61 with a suitably designed spring.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a reel for webs of paper, and in combination with a power-driven reel drum having a pair of parallel-spaced rollsupporting rails extending therefrom,

primary spool transfer arms at opposite ends of said reel drum mounted for pivotal movement about said reel drum from an elevated position downwardly toward the rails,

a spool releasably carried by said primary transfer arms, and transferred thereby along the periphery of said reel drum onto said rails,

power means moving said primary transfer arms toward and from said rails,

means relieving the weight of said spool from said reel drum at the initiation of the reeling operation, and maintaining a preselected minimum nip reeling pressure between said spool and drum as transferred about said drum by said transfer arms or said rails, comprising tracks extending about each end of said drum having curvilinear support surfaces for opposite ends of said spool, spaced radially from the periphery of said drum, and leading partially about said reel drum toward said rails and formed to relieve the weight of said spool from said reel drum.

2. The reel of claim I,

wherein the curvilinear support surfaces of the tracks are cam surfaces formed to bring said spool into engagement with the reel drum in a preselected transfer position of said spool and to urge said spool away from said reel drum as a web is built up thereon, and dropping off at their outgoing ends to terminate relieving force.

3. The reel ofclaim 2,

wherein the cam surfaces of the tracks have incoming curvilinear surfaces of one curvature extending for a portion of the length thereof and curvilinear surfaces of a second curvature leading from said incoming surfaces for the balance of the length thereof, and

wherein the juncture of said curvilinear surfaces forms a valley at the general region of engagement of the spool with the reel drum.

4. The reel of claim 2,

wherein the tracks are pivoted for movement about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the reel drum, and

wherein means are provided to accommodate movement of said tracks about the pivots thereof toward to reel drum to lower a spool into engagement therewith.

5. The reel of claim 4,

wherein the means for moving the tracks about the pivots thereof are fluid pressure operated means, loaded during reeling at a constant pressure and moving said tracks away from the center of said reel drum as the diameter of the wound roll increases, and cooperating with said out going curvilinear surfaces, to maintain a preselected low nip pressure between the reel drum and roll, during the initial reeling operation.

6. The reel of claim 5,

wherein the fluid pressure operated means comprise fluid pressure cylinder and piston means loaded at a constant pressure during reeling.

7. The reel of claim 4,

wherein secondary transfer members are mounted for movement along said rails to retain the spool and web thereon into engagement with said reel drum with preselected pressure as the spool comes into engagement with said rails, to continue the reeling operation and remove the spool and roll of wound paper from said reel drum.

8. The reel ofclaim 7,

wherein the curvilinear support surfaces of each cam track include an incoming surface of one curvature, normally retaining the spool from said engagement with the reel drum and have an outgoing surface of a different curvature, with a valley between said curvilinear surfaces, and dropping off at the outgoing end of the outgoing curvilinear surface to deposit the spool onto said rails to be taken over by said secondary transfer means, and

wherein fluid pressure operated cylinders and pistons are operatively connected with said tracks, and are effective to move said tracks to bring said spool into engagement with the periphery of said reel drum, and cooperate with said outgoing curvilinear surfaces of said tracks to urge the spool away from said reel drum as a web builds up thereon, and maintain and preselected minimum initial nip pressure between said spool and reel drum during the initial reeling operation.

9. The reel of claim 5,

wherein the fluid pressure operated means comprise fluid pressure cylinder and piston means loaded at a pressure varying according to the position of the primary transfer arms to effect a varying relieving force on the spool as the diameter of the wound roll increases.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION Patent No. 3, 614, 011 Dated October 19, 1971 Inventor-(s) Gerald W. Karr It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Abstract, line 2, change "reed" to reel--;

line.14, after "axis", insert and outgoing curvilinear portions formed about a different axis--.

", delete -a--;

" to -journalled--.

Column 1, line 50, after "is line 69, change "journale Column 2, line 58, change "journaled" to -journalled.

Column 3, line 14, change "of", first occurrence, to on-.

Column 4,

line 73, change "to" to the-.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of December 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. In a reel for webs of paper, and in combination with a powerdriven reel drum having a pair of parallel-spaced roll-supporting rails extending therefrom, primary spool transfer arms at opposite ends of said reel drum mounted for pivotal movement about said reel drum from an elevated position downwardly toward the rails, a spool releasably carried by said primary transfer arms, and transferred thereby along the periphery of said reel drum onto said rails, power means moving said primary transfer arms toward and from said rails, means relieving the weight of said spool from said reel drum at the initiation of the reeling operation, and maintaining a preselected minimum nip reeling pressure between said spool and drum as transferred about said drum by said transfer arms or said rails, comprising tracks extending about each end of said drum having curvilinear support surfaces for opposite ends of said spool, spaced radially from the periphery of said drum, and leading partially about said reel drum toward said rails and formed to relieve the weight of said spool from said reel drum.
 2. The reel of claim 1, wherein the curvilinear support surfaces of the tracks are cam surfaces formed to bring said spool into engagement with the reel drum in a preselected transfer position of said spool and to urge said spool away from said reel drum as a web is built up thereon, and dropping off at their outgoing ends to terminate relieving force.
 3. The reel of claim 2, wherein the cam surfaces of the tracks have incoming curvilinear surfaces of one curvature extending for a portion of the length thereof and curvilinear surfaces of a second curvature leading from said incoming surfaces for the balance of the length thereof, and wherein the juncture of said curvilinear surfaces forms a valley at the general region of engagement of the spool with the reel drum.
 4. The reel of claim 2, wherein the tracks are pivoted for movement about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the reel drum, and wherein means are provided to accommodate movement of said tracks about the pivots thereof toward to reel drum to lower a spool into engagement therewith.
 5. The reel of claim 4, wherein the means for moving the tracks about the pivots thereof are fluid pressure operated means, loaded during reeling at a constant pressure and moving said tracks away from the center of said reel drum as the diameter of the wound roll increases, and cooperating with said outgoing curvilinear surfaces, to maintain a preselected low nip pressure between the reel drum and roll, during the initial reeling operation.
 6. The reel of claim 5, wherein the fluid pressure operated means comprise fluid pressure cylinder and piston means loaded at a constant pressure during reeling.
 7. The reel of claim 4, wherein secondary transfer members are mounted for movement along said rails to retain the spool and web thereon into engagement with said reel drum with preselected pressure as the spool comes into engagement with said rails, to continue the reeling operation and remove the spool and roll of wound paper from said reel drum.
 8. The reel of claim 7, wherein the curvilinear support surfaces of each cam track include an incoming surface of one curvature, normally retaining the spool from said engagement with the reel drum and have an outgoing surface of a different curvature, with a valley between said curvilinear surfaces, and dropping off at the outgoing end of the outgoing curvilinear surface to deposit the spool onto said rails to be taken over by said secondary transfer means, and wherein fluid pressure operated cylinders and pistons are operatively connected with said tracks, and are effective to move said tracks To bring said spool into engagement with the periphery of said reel drum, and cooperate with said outgoing curvilinear surfaces of said tracks to urge the spool away from said reel drum as a web builds up thereon, and maintain and preselected minimum initial nip pressure between said spool and reel drum during the initial reeling operation.
 9. The reel of claim 5, wherein the fluid pressure operated means comprise fluid pressure cylinder and piston means loaded at a pressure varying according to the position of the primary transfer arms to effect a varying relieving force on the spool as the diameter of the wound roll increases. 